David Cutcliffe, the 2013 National Coach of the Year who has earned both ACC and SEC Coach of the Year honors in a distinguished career that includes the mentoring of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, was named Duke University’s 21st head football coach on December 15, 2007.

Cutcliffe is 40-48 (.455) in seven seasons at Duke and owns an overall head coaching ledger of 84-77 (.522). Cutcliffe’s 40 victories in seven years with the Blue Devils are 30 more than the program’s total in the previous eight seasons (2000-07) combined.

In addition to guiding the Blue Devil gridiron program, Cutcliffe serves on the American Football Coaches Association’s Board of Trustees.

Cutcliffe’s 2014 squad continued the elevation of the program as it captured nine wins, marking the first time in school history the Blue Devils have posted consecutive seasons with nine-plus victories. In addition, Duke earned a berth in an unprecedented third straight bowl game last winter, playing in the Hyundai Sun Bowl and Cutcliffe was honored as the AFCA’s Region I Coach of the Year.

In 2013, Cutcliffe guided the Blue Devils to a school record 10 wins, including the ACC Coastal Division championship and an appearance in the 46th annual Chick-fil-A Bowl where Duke’s matchup with Texas A&M registered nearly nine million viewers to rank as ESPN’s most-watched non-BCS bowl game. For his efforts, Cutcliffe was named the National Coach of the Year by five outlets — American Football Coaches Association, Bobby Dodd Foundation, Maxwell Football Club, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation — while earning his second consecutive ACC Coach of the Year citation.

Duke’s ascension to the top of the division standings has been spearheaded by Cutcliffe, who took over the program prior to the 2008 campaign after the Blue Devils had won just 10 total games in the previous eight seasons. Cutcliffe’s vision has come together in the last three years with 25 victories, tied for the winningest three-year stretch in program history, three bowl appearances and the 2013 ACC Coastal Division championship.

Highlights from the last three years include an eight-game winning streak in 2013 (Duke’s longest since 1941), the program’s first appearance in the BCS standings in 2013 and in the College Football Playoff rankings in 2014 and a final national rankings in both polls in 2013 (22nd by USA Today/Coaches & 23rd by Associated Press) to mark Duke’s first showing in a final poll since 1962. Cutcliffe directed the 2013 Blue Devils to a school record four fourth quarter victories as well as, for the first time since 1971, two wins over nationally-ranked opponents. A year later, Cutcliffe had Duke as high as No. 19 in both the USA Today and Associated Press polls, its highest AP ranking since Nov. 12, 1994. Duke also won two or more games as a ranked team in consecutive years for the first time since the 1954-55 seasons.

Individual talent was nearly as high as team success in 2014 as the Blue Devils had six All-America picks, tied for the third most in a year in program history and the most in a campaign since six in 1965. Right guard Laken Tomlinson became just the fifth Blue Devil to be named consensus All-America and in April was a first round (No. 28 overall to the Detroit Lions) in the 2015 NFL Draft. Tomlinson was named to eight All-America teams in 2014, the most by any player in a year in Duke history. Safety Jeremy Cash became Duke’s first All-America choice in consecutive years since Clarkston Hines in 1988-89.

Under Cutcliffe’s guidance, wide receiver Jamison Crowder finished his career in 2014 with 283 receptions, tied with former Blue Devil wideout Conner Vernon (2009-12/283) for the Duke and ACC career records. A fourth round pick of the Washington Redskins in the 2015 NFL Draft, Crowder also capped his career with the second most receiving yards in program history (3,641 — third-most in the ACC) and joined Hines (1987-88-89) as the only ACC players with three 1,000-yard seasons. Another record breaker in 2014 under Cutcliffe’s tutoring was quarterback Anthony Boone, who won 19 games as a starter, surpassing Jerry Barger (1951-54; 17) for the most victories by a Duke signal caller in program history.

Duke continued its off-the-field success under Cutcliffe in 2014 as linebacker David Helton became Duke’s first National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy winner, awarded to the nation’s absolute best college football student-athlete. Helton was also a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree and the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award winner. Tomlinson was named to the AFCA Good Works Team, the fifth such selection under Cutcliffe at Duke. Tomlinson also was named the Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award recipient and was one of a league-high 13 Blue Devils to receive Academic All-ACC honors.

Cutcliffe’s 2013 squad featured three All-America selections — Cash, Crowder and kickoff returner DeVon Edwards — as well as a school record 11 All-ACC picks. A perfect November record of 4-0 included wins over N.C. State, Miami, Wake Forest and North Carolina and propelled the Blue Devils into the Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game for the first time in school history. In addition, Duke enjoyed a perfect 5-0 record on the road — the program’s best mark since 1962 — and won four-plus home games and four-plus away games in a season for just the third time in school history, joining the 1939 & 1941 teams, all after being a consensus last place projection in the conference standings.

Duke’s 2013 club became the first ACC squad to lose its first two conference games and win the division championship. Other highlights included a league-high 21 selections to the Academic All-ACC team, numerous school records including most points and total offensive yards and cornerback Ross Cockrell being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

In 2012, Cutcliffe was named the ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Devils to the program’s first bowl game appearance since 1994. Duke enjoyed the year with nine players earning All-ACC recognition including first team selections Cockrell, punter Will Monday and Vernon.

In addition, quarterback Sean Renfree, who threw for over 3,000 yards for the second time in his career, achieved numerous post-season accolades including the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, the Pop Warner National College Football Award and the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award while earning a spot on the prestigious AFCA Good Works Team. Renfree went on to be a seventh round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Cutcliffe’s innovative offensive scheme was again put on display during the 2012 season as the Blue Devils scored a school single-season record 410 points and became just the second team in ACC history to boast two receivers — Vernon and Crowder — with at least 1,000 receiving yards apiece. The Crowder-Vernon combination also established a conference record for most combined receptions (161) while becoming the first duo in league history to post 75 or more receptions each.

Vernon closed his career as the ACC’s all-time leader in both pass receptions (283) and receiving yards (3,749) while Crowder etched his name into the NCAA record book with a 99-yard touchdown reception from Renfree against Miami.

The 2011 season – Cutcliffe’s fourth in Durham – featured outstanding play from safety Matt Daniels, a first team All-ACC and second team All-America selection who represented Duke in the annual East-West Shrine Game. The Fayetteville, Ga., native posted 128 tackles, 14 pass break-ups and two interceptions in his final season. Following the season, Duke had a then ACC-record 19 players named to the league’s academic all-conference squad. The Blue Devils broke the record a year later in 2012 with 20 selections.

In 2010, the Blue Devil offense produced an average of 381.3 yards per game — Duke’s highest total since 1989 — as Renfree became just the fourth player in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards. In addition, kicker Will Snyderwine was a first team All-America honoree after booting a school single-season record 21 field goals and compiling 95 points to post the second-highest single-season total in Duke history.

Cutcliffe’s second campaign at Duke — 2009 — yielded a 5-7 ledger to give the program its most wins in a season since 1994. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, a two-time All-ACC selection who started the regular season finale for the Cleveland Browns in 2012 before throwing for 1,092 yards for the Buffalo Bills in 2013, led the conference in passing after throwing for 3,330 yards and 20 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Lewis concluded his career with 10,065 yards to rank first at Duke and second in ACC history in passing yardage.

In 2008, Cutcliffe led the Blue Devils to four victories — matching the school’s win total from the previous four seasons combined.

Duke’s fan support also has increased since Cutcliffe took the helm of the gridiron program. In his first season, Duke set a school single-season record with four home crowds of 30,000 or more spectators. Eighteen of Duke’s 47 home dates in the Cutcliffe Era have reached 30,000 fans — compared to just four of the previous 47 home games prior to his arrival. In 2010, Duke established a school record for attendance with 201,248 total spectators at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Cutcliffe, born September 16, 1954, came to Duke after serving the previous two seasons as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee. His head coaching experience includes a six-year stint at the University of Mississippi from 1999-04 where he compiled a 44-29 (.603) ledger with five winning seasons, five bowl game appearances and a share of the SEC Western Division championship in 2003. Cutcliffe was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2003 after leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record including a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

As a member of the coaching staff at Tennessee from 1982-98, Cutcliffe helped the Volunteers to five SEC championships, 16 bowl games in 17 seasons and the national title in 1998. His first tenure with the Vols featured the mentoring of quarterbacks Andy Kelly, Heath Shuler, Tee Martin and Peyton Manning.

Kelly, who played at Tennessee from 1988-91 and graduated atop the school’s career passing chart, has gone on to become the Arena Football League’s career leader in pass completions, pass attempts, passing yards and touchdown passes. Shuler, a first team All-America choice in 1993 after throwing for 2,353 yards and a then school-record 25 touchdowns, was the third overall pick by the Washington Redskins in the 1994 NFL Draft. In November of 2006, Shuler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina’s 11th congressional district.

By throwing for 19 touchdowns against just six interceptions, Martin directed the Volunteer offense in 1998 as Tennessee went 13-0 and captured the SEC and national championships. Peyton Manning’s career concluded in 1997 when the signal-caller threw for 3,819 yards and 36 touchdowns while earning first team All-America honors as well as the Maxwell Award presented annually to the nation’s top player. Peyton Manning was the top pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, earned league MVP honors in 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009 and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLI as his Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears, 25-17, on February 4, 2007.

In 1997, the Tennessee offensive unit established school single-season standards for first downs (300), pass completions (296), pass attempts (492), passing yards (3,981), passing touchdowns (37) and total offense (5,794) as the Volunteers went 11-2 and defeated Auburn, 30-29, in the SEC championship game.

In 1998, Cutcliffe was honored with the Frank Broyles Award, an honor given annually to the top assistant coach in the country. During Cutcliffe’s tenure as offensive coordinator from 1993-98, Tennessee enjoyed four 1,000-yard rushers in Charlie Garner (1,161 in 1993), James Stewart (1,028 in 1994), Jay Graham (1,438 in 1995) and Jamal Lewis (1,364 in 1997). Stewart (19th overall pick by Jacksonville in 1995) and Lewis (5th overall pick by Baltimore in 2000) went on to be first round selections in the NFL Draft.

On December 2, 1998, Cutcliffe was named the head coach at Ole Miss and coached the Rebels in their 35-18 Independence Bowl win over Texas Tech to conclude the 1998 campaign.

While at Ole Miss, Cutcliffe tutored 2003 SEC Player of the Year Eli Manning. Manning was a first team All-America pick as a senior, closed his career with an SEC-record 10,119 passing yards and was the top overall choice in the 2004 NFL Draft. In his fourth professional season, he guided the New York Giants to the Super Bowl and earned MVP honors after throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-14 win over the New England Patriots on February 3, 2008.

Cutcliffe also coached three-time All-SEC running back Deuce McAllister, who set Rebel career records for rushing yards (3,060) and rushing touchdowns (37) and was a first round selection of the New Orleans Saints in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Cutcliffe’s recruiting efforts at Ole Miss produced three national award winners in Eli Manning (2003; Maxwell Award), Jon Nichols (2003; Lou Groza Award presented annually to the top kicker in the nation) and Patrick Willis (2006; Butkus Award presented annually to the top linebacker in the country). During his six seasons at the helm of the Rebel program, Mississippi set school single-season records for total offense, passing offense and scoring offense while winning twice at both Auburn and LSU, securing consecutive victories over Florida, and defeating both Arkansas and South Carolina on three occasions.

In the spring of 2005, Cutcliffe joined the coaching staff at Notre Dame, but resigned from the post for health reasons. He then returned to Knoxville prior to the 2006 season. Cutcliffe helped the Volunteers to a 19-8 record from 2006-07 with two appearances in the Outback Bowl. In 2007, Tennessee went 10-4 with a 6-2 league mark en route to winning the SEC Eastern Division crown. The Tennessee offense allowed an NCAA-low four sacks on the year, and quarterback Erik Ainge earned MVP honors of the Outback Bowl after throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns as the Volunteers defeated Wisconsin, 21-17. Tennessee running back Arian Foster rushed for 1,193 yards on the year while wide receiver Lucas Taylor reached the 1,000-yard plateau for receiving yards. In addition, offensive guard Anthony Parker garnered second team All-America accolades.

With Cutcliffe at offensive coordinator, Tennessee scored 30 or more points in 62 of 100 games, posting a 59-3 (.952) ledger in those contests. The Volunteers compiled an overall record of 173-54-7 (.754) during his 19 seasons. Cutcliffe is the only coach in SEC history to have two quarterbacks throw for over 10,000 career yards while his offenses produced the all-time leading passers, rushers and receivers at both Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Cutcliffe’s coaching tenure as both an assistant and head coach features five quarterbacks that have surpassed the 3,000-yard barrier in a single season: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1996 & 1997), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2002 & 2003), Ainge (Tennessee, 2007), Lewis (Duke, 2009) and Renfree (Duke, 2010). In addition, nine of Cutcliffe’s signal-calling pupils have either earned all-conference honors or led their respective team to a bowl game victory.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Cutcliffe graduated from the University of Alabama in 1976. He got his start in coaching at Banks High School — his alma mater — and spent four years as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach in 1980.

Cutcliffe is married to the former Karen Oran of Harriman, Tenn., and they have four children (Chris, Marcus, Katie [Kolls] & Emily), one daughter-in-law (Molly), one son-in-law (Chris Kolls) and two grandsons (Shivers & Bennett).

David Cutcliffe's Coaching Career (1982-Present)

Year

School

Position

Record

Notes

1982

Tennessee

Part Time Assistant Coach

6-5

Peach Bowl participant

1983

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

9-3

Florida Citrus Bowl champion

1984

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

7-4

Sun Bowl participant

1985

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

9-1

SEC Champions Sugar Bowl champion

1986

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

7-5

Liberty Bowl champion

1987

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

10-2

Peach Bowl champion

1988

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/TEs

5-6

1989

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/RBs

11-1

SEC Champions Cotton Bowl champion

1990

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/QBs

9-2

SEC Champions Sugar Bowl champion

1991

Tennessee

Assistant Coach/QBs

9-3

Fiesta Bowl participant

1992

Tennessee

Passing Game Coordinator/QBs

9-3

Hall of Fame Bowl champion

1993

Tennessee

Offensive Coordinator/QBs

10-2

Florida Citrus Bowl participantQB Heath Shuler: SEC Player of the Year

ACC Coach of the YearBelk Bowl participant Led Duke to first bowl game appearance since 1994

2013

Duke

Head Coach

10-4

ACC Coastal Division ChampionsWalter Camp Foundation National Coach of the YearMaxwell Football Club National Coach of the YearBobby Dodd National Coach of the YearAFCA National Coach of the YearSporting News Co-National Coach of the YearACC Coach of the YearChick-fil-A Bowl participant